I suspect Pawlenty was just waiting for a high profile case to jump on so he could ride a populist wave to a new conservative landmark piece of legislation.
And this is the case he has chosen. At this time we have…
A crime committed outside of Minnesota.
No murder charges.
No body, blood or other sign of murder.
No trial, let alone conviction for anything.
Obviously, Pawlenty has the same deep reverance for the lives of the accused that marked Bush’s time as Governor of Texas.
And how come no moral outrage form the Gov over the boy who was murdered in Little Canada last week? At least there we KNOW there was a murder and it’s in Minnesota to boot. Could it be that that case garnered far less media attention?
OK, IANAL, but if if the guv got his way and the DP was reinstated, it wouldn’t apply to this case correct (assuming she’s dead, the crime was committed in Minnesota, they have the perp, and he’s found guilty)? Ex post facto and all, right?
Seriously, what are the qualifications for being a politician anymore? A pulse? You apprently don’t need any understanding of the Constitution, legal precedence, or a shread of common sense.
Pawlenty is a fool. No. I am wrong. He is a Classically-trained Fool. I can’t stand him. Man, I miss Jesse. Jesse might have said something like what Pawlenty said yesterday, but with him, everyone would have just giggled and moved on. Now though…
Here’s hoping that the great spirit of Paul Wellstone will someday come back and kick everyone’s ass.
Which is more likely: the governor is an idiot; or, the governor is exploiting a high-profile case for political gain (look how tough on crime I am!) with the knowledge that the death penalty wouldn’t actually apply to the case and will likely fade away as an option.
Oh yeah… Pawlenty would make damn sure that he suspended ex-post-facto this one time, so they could kill this one guy. If he had his way, the DP would be hanging, or stoning. No lethal injection for these creeps. No pain? That would mean the bastards get off easy. Oh, Christ…I’m gonna go to work now.
I heard a story about our beloved governer’s newest suggestion on the way to work this morning.
My first thought was “Please, can get get Jesse back?”
Maybe we should look into a California-style recall.
In the serious side, I have a sneaking suspection that Metacom may be right. I can see Pawlenty picking something like this, knowing that it’s not likely to go through, and then blasting the Democrats as “Soft on crime” when it gets shot down.
Wen I first began posting to these boards I was an advocate of the death penalty. In principle, I still feel that murderers should be “ended”, and I would have added rapists and child molesters to the list of criminals the world is better off without.
I have come to see, however, that not only is our system of justice still primitive; in the sense that all stages from investigation, evidence gathering, prosecution and execution are governed more by emotion than by reason; but that individuals like Pawlenty (and the erstwhile governor of Texas) are more than willing to play to that emotion – to actually stimulate the mob mentality – in order to gain political power. The system, as I say, is primitive, but the tactics of men like these are quite sophisticated. For this reason I think now that the death penalty should be abolished. Certainty as to guilt is simply impossible, especially when powerful individuals seek to stir the emotions at the expense of reason. Enough with the killing already.
Good point. This was an incredibly inappropriate thing for a sitting governor to say. There is just no justification for 1) using this crime for political gain or 2) prejudicing the jury pool when the guy hasn’t even been charged at this point. Yet, if Minnesotans are so “enlightened”, what would he have to gain by advocating this position? Is he so stupid as to think he won’t alienate more people than he’ll get to support him on it?
But then, if the good folks of that state had any grey matter in their heads, why would they live there in the first place? I guess if you were emmigrating from Sweden, it might look great…
You’re absolutely right, John. It’s terrible here. Don’t move here. Don’t even visit. Awful, awful place. Cold. Goddamn cold. You’d hate it. And especially not Californians or NYawkers. They’d simply perish. We are experiencing a terrible infestation of ice spiders this year. And the women! Tall, leggy Nordic types. Appalling.
eli, I live in Atlanta, and for the past 3 or 4 days, when I get up, CNN has a live update from Grand Forks (interviews with friends, law enforcement, etc). Also, they occasionaly put on some coverage of the trial of South Dakota Rep/My former governor, Bill Janklow. Not to make light of two (very sad and unpleasant) situations, but I think it may be the most attention the I-29 corridor has ever received.
And as for the OP, I hope to be moving back to Minnesota in a year or two, and I can’t remember: How much time is left on Pawlenty’s term? I would love to get a job at the alma mater (UMM), but didn’t have much hope with the last gov, and don’t with this one, either.
No typo. I enjoy the town, and it’s a pretty cheap place to live. Besides, I enjoy totally flat areas.
I remember the last game they won before breaking the losing streak. They finally realized that they don’t need to be Division 2, D3 will still get them the same students.
Elucidator, you wouldn’t keep a New Yawker like Eve away, would you?
Now Ashcroft and his boys may get involved. An attorney on KFAN last night explained that a possible extension of the Lindbergh laws might allow a push for the death penalty in this case.
The attorney (I didn’t catch his name) also explained that the Gov should have asked his wife, the judge, about the merits of his claim. She could have told him to calm down, there was nothing he could do to alter the punishment in this case.
I guess if you were emmigrating from Sweden, it might look great…